I finally got around to hearing English Dogs (I had avoided them before as I thought they would be rather punkish), and damn, I definitely didn't know what I was missing. Forward into Battle has some of the best riffing I've heard in PM and a fantastic raspy vocalist, along the lines of the guy from Witchgrave. I haven't heard anything about Where Legend Began, but I checked that one out too, and it sounds just as good, if not better! Nerdy fantasy lyrics, very progressive, killer songwriting...where have these guys been all my life?! Excellent stuff, anyway. I guess I'm a bit surprised to hear something this good that I didn't know before. Anyone heard their '90's albums? If so, are they any good? I plan to check them out eventually, but I'm more wary, given how few good 90s PM albums there are.

In a similar vein, how about some good bands with similar vocals to English Dogs and Witchgrave? (I know Venom, Motorhead, and most of their copycats already.)

It may be a bit off the mark, but you might want to check out G.I.S.M.'s second album. Their debut was hardcore punk, but this second album has heavy metal style guitarwork while retaining the punk vocal style. Here's the opening track, Good as It Is. Great album.

Milo wrote:

What are some albums with brilliant, epic choruses AND awesome riffs like early Fates Warning?

Fuuuuck, Wolf's Edge Of The World still slays me every time I listen to it. Any other heavy metal out there with such superb atmospherics?

I've frequently touted this as one of the best NWOBHM LPs in existence. It's just so great: melodic, emotive, classic NWOBHM style. Love it. I believe i verbally fellated it in an review some time ago. Not sure what you're after, but some similar-ish NWOBHM might include Bronz or Trespass? Perhaps Marquis de Sade?

Well, it seems I fulfilled my own request to an extent, albeit with an album that's not particularly obscure. I've always liked the guitarwork on the first two Cirith Ungol albums, but Tim Baker's just not for me. I checked out Paradise Lost though, and his performance is much more traditional and enjoyable for me. And listening this album just confirms to me how much Skullview sound like them! Excellent stuff.

Holy crap that is awesome! I may not be trusted on the issue though, because I thought that Metal reworking looked pretty sweet actually. Really comic-booky but somehow it just worked for me. This one is above and beyond though. I love how its the complete antithesis of the "Playground..." cover. That one was very slick, this is raw and unpolished, just like it should be.

That new cover artwork is great and I'm stoked about how Shark and co. have been so active lately. The Metal reissue artwork was cheesy, for sure, but that's the charm and intent - certainly a superior version of the original.

Bah. The original Metal cover in all of it's simplicity is way better than the new cartoony one.

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Napero wrote:

I'd love to blast a bit of Voivod and make a better-looking gun turret to glue on the tortoise's shell to make it look like Killing Technology, but the wife won't let me. I think I'll get an Emperor penguin instead.

I drunkenly demanded a song leak from the album on their facebook page and they said "Closest thing to a song leak from the New album is the video of "Island of the Giant Ants" from our Aug. 30 performance. Should have something from the actually studio sessions up soon. " So I'm hoping for a little taste before the album comes out. Also no word on pre-orders yet so hopefully they can make that date fine.

English Dogs are alright. I think I like their UK hardcore meets epic metal sound better on paper. Certainly, they're not bad, though... it's a cool style, certainly, it would have been cooler if more English bands went in that direction rather than just copying Metallica/Anthrax (I'm looking at you, Xentrix!).

BaloroftheEvilEye wrote:

Christ that's ugly. I've seen much better from year-1 graphic design students. What was stopping them from getting a proper painter like they had for a lot of their older albums?

What, like the amateur jobs on Crystal Logic and Metal? Don't get me wrong, I like those old, slightly goofy covers... but this one is fucking awesome. Up there with The Deluge/Open the Gates.

_________________'Sometimes you have to be a bigot in order to beat bigger bigots' - G. Marenghi.

We'll have to agree to disagree. Deluge had some incredible detail (Open The Gates too) and the artist really seemed to know what he was doing. The horse on the new one looks like one of those horse costumes worn by two people, like he had a vague idea of what a horse looks like, and instead of referencing it, just took a shot in the dark, Hell, the whole thing looks like a nixer. Looking through his other work, it really seems hit-or-miss, with some decent album covers and concept designs, but I definitely think this was one of his "off-days".

They used to be a good band. Songs for the Lost is commercial but also really awesome and contains some excellent songwriting, and Draw Down the Moon is really short but also has some awesome tunes with great riffs. The new one is pretty much crap. Really bland.

Wow that Icarus Witch song was terrible. It sounds very modern and commercial and I thought this band was supposed to be more of a roots and trad band.The first two records were good, not great. Overall, they have been a pretty decent band but nothing overwhelming and if they continue with this new sound they will soon be forgettable.

_________________Thrash Was Born In Bloody Stourbridge!

marktheviktor wrote:

I think the guys in Metallica suffer from a condition known as Metal Sclerosis: the cognitive disability to play metal anymore.

I tried to give a couple songs from Rise a chance on youtube recently because for whatever reason I REALLY love the new album cover (I think it strikes a balance between occult and sexy, which isn't something I see very often). It's just really really bad though. I think the title track was ignorable at best, the other two I heard were aggravatingly bad. The guitar sound is an instant turn-off for me, and then there's those shockingly generic "hard rock" vocals. Even if the riffing was incredible I'd struggle with it, but luckily that wasn't the case.

Not for nothin', but "professional" is the last thing I'm looking for in a heavy metal album cover. Battle Cry is my shit.

Hm, based on that track I think I might actually have to go back and give Draw Down the Moon a chance, I think I based my dismissal of the band based on their other stuff. "Black Candles" was pretty solid, though. Also I agree Jonpo, the newest one sounds like a really second-rate version of Iommi's material with Glenn Hughes, with a bad production and mediocre songwriting.

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MorbidBlood wrote:

So the winner is Destruction and Infernal Overkill is the motherfucking skullcrushing poserkilling satan-worshiping 666 FUCK YOU greatest german thrash record.

I guess i'll check out that new MR once it drops. I never really got into Playground of the Damned to be honest. Is it just me or is the production kinda weird/shitty?

Maybe you downloaded the dodgy vinyl rip that was circulating before it was actually released? The CD sounds fine, to me, really appropriate for what they were going for. The drum sound is still kinda weird, though. I think the album's great, myself.

_________________'Sometimes you have to be a bigot in order to beat bigger bigots' - G. Marenghi.